Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!

 Two of my daughters finally persuaded me to enter a Vietnamese restaurant and have some pho.  And soon after that delicious bowl of pho my daughter Michelle found this recipe for pho in a local newspaper.  One Saturday we all got together to try to make it. Over the years we have tweaked it by adding more star of anise, etc. and this is our recipe.

Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho

1.  Preparing the chicken:  
(1)  Rinse and cut the skin off of a whole chicken.   Cut off the wings, legs, and thighs for another meal if you just want the breast meat.
(2)  Fill a saucepan with water enough to cover the chicken and bring to a boil.  When it boils for about 2 minutes, drain it.  You will add it to the stockpot. 

2.  Prepare veggies for stockpot:  
(1)  Cut up 2 medium onions in slivers.  
(2)  Mince up a 3" piece of ginger.
(3)  Wash 2-3 stalks of celery and scrub 1-2 carrots and stick them whole into the pot to add some flavor. You'll put these out later.
(4)  Rinse off about 4 basil leaves (this is my son's recommendation) and chop up for the pot. Plus add the stems.
(5)  Rinse off a small cluster of cilantro stems for the pot and cut.

3.  Sauté onions & prepare stock:   
(1)  Put 1 T of oil in the bottom of a stock pot and add the onions and sauté a few minutes then add the ginger.   
(2)  Add 15-18 cups of water (or enough to fill a stock pot about 3/4th full of water) and 1 T of rice mirin.   
(3)  Add a whole chicken and bring to a boil and skim off any foam.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
(4)  Then add:  2-3 sticks of cinnamon bark, 8-10 whole star of anise, 6 whole cloves,  4-5 T of coriander seed, 1 cardamom pod, 1/2 T of peppercorns, 1 T of salt and 2 T of Chicken Better Than Bouillon.  
 (5)  Let simmer for an hour. Take out the chicken and cut the meat in about 3" strips.    Put in refrigerator and add last half hour.  

4.  After 1 hour of simmering broth:  
(1)   The recipe says you can strain out the spices--I like to leave mine in a little bit longer--actually about 4 hours so you decide what you prefer.  When you're ready, pull out the carrots, celery, stems, and spices.
(2)  Mix  together:  1/4 cup of gluten free fish sauce,  1/4 cup of gluten free tamari, 3 t brown sugar, and 1 t pepper and stir into the broth.
(3)    Taste and make any adjustments.   When I made this yesterday, I just had to add a bit more water because I added too much fish sauce.

5.  While the chicken broth is simmering soak noodles:  Soak in boiling water 1 package of  bah pho rice stick noodles (or whatever you like) for about 45-50 minutes or you can boil them until they are just right.  Check halfway and add more hot water if necessary.  Then drain and let sit.  When ready, put noodles in the bottom of each bowl.

6.  Prepare condiment platter:   On a large platter arrange 1 sliced sweet onion, 3-4 green onions sliced in 1" pieces, 1 package of bean sprouts, sprigs of cilantro, whole basil, and 1 lime cut in wedges.

Assembling: I like to set up a serving table with the pot of chicken both, then the bowl of noodles, and then the condiment tray so people can individualize their bowls.  My son likes to add a bit of Sriracha to his bowl for extra heat.

List of My Favorite Soups, Chili & Stew Recipes: 

Beef 

Grandma's Favorite Beef Stew  (My mother-in-law's delicious recipe!)

Just Like Home Ukrainian Borscht   (A Polish student  said this tasted like his mom's!)

Poultry

This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!   (A recipe my son modified)

Mouth Watering Italian  Sausage Soup   (This is  my friend Debbie's recipe)
Mexican Fiesta Chicken Soup   (A recipe I got years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
My Thanksgiving Turkey Soup  (My very own special concoction!)
Gary's Incredible Gluten Free Arkansas Gumbo  (Given to me by a Bible study friend from Arkansas)
Jeannie's French Market Soup  (A friend from when my kids were little)
Southwest Turkey Soup  (From my Syre School cookbook)

Fish
Northwest Salmon Chowder  (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Almost Like Ivar's Clam Chowder (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)

Bean & Legumes
Vi's Best Chili  (A  Bible study friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country-Style Lentil Soup   (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup (From a store recipe card)

Vegetable

Creamy Pumpkin Soup  (from Food Network)
My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
Downright Delicious Potato & Kale Soup  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
A Great Fall Soup - Make it From Scratch Corn Potato Chowder  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Asian
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage (Modified from Internet search by our Chinese students)
Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!  (Modified from a newspaper article)
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Modified by a Chinese student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup  &  Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup  (Modified  from a student's recipe)

Vegetarian & Gluten Free Tom Yum Soup (A delicious Thai soup) 
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)   (Adapted from Internet search)
A Thai Mom Teaches Me How to Make Tom Yum Kung  (A student's mom's recipe)
A Vietnamese Cooking Lesson - Lien's Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup  (An International student's aunt's recipe)
Cooking Beef Pho for Vietnamese Students  (Modified Recipe)
Asian Curried Chicken Soup  (From my Come & Dine church cookbook)